ArchTam’s partnership with Enviah, a Grand Rapids-based, woman-owned business, has been fostered through a deep rooted and keen understanding of operational system performance models and the complex systems and structures required for this type of project.

Using their evidence led three-dimensional process – Discover, Design and Do – Enviah collaborated with HFMH in the pre-planning stage. The approach was centered around a thorough investigation and understanding of the Henry Ford Macomb Hospital’s existing operational model and how the new building could transform their operations to achieve optimal outcomes. Results were quantified through system measures of efficiencies, including optimal staff productivity as they care for patients, staff engagement and workplace pride, and increased patient satisfaction through a defined experience of care.

“Enviah’s operational focus mirrors our thinking that great healthcare design should be aligned to simplify and organize business operations and then tailored to improve the practitioner and patient experience. It is an absolute honor working with Dr. MacAllister and her teams to help solve our clients’ complex problems and deliver projects that will serve local communities for years to come.” – G. Jerry Attia, ArchTam Michigan’s Vice President and Managing Principal

ArchTam quickly moved forward with incorporating the operational model into a patient floor plan. Our planning and design architects embraced the operational mapping as a strategy for designing a cost-effective, positive care experience, and space that delivered quality, safety and inspiration for staff and patients alike. As our work on the project progressed, Enviah’s proprietary Syntax Mapping System validated that the planning resulted in lower numbers of steps for caregivers, increased visibility on the patients and more intuitive wayfinding for visitors.

A paper doll session at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital

We were pleased to learn that HFMH leadership found that Enviah’s future-focused thinking and research has led to improvements in their approach to the delivery of services and operations.

“ArchTam’s team approaches design from the core of the business operation and cares deeply about the significant investment the client makes when creating new spaces for their businesses. By combining ArchTam’s healthcare design expertise with our operational model and tactical applications and design solutions, our approach not only fully conceives how the building will operate in the future, but also incorporates a real sense of place that complements the local community culture.” – Lorissa MacAllister, PhD, AIA, Enviah’s Founder and President

Soon after completing the pre-planning phase on the HFMH project, and due to the unprecedented challenges healthcare systems faced in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Enviah and ArchTam teamed up once more to collaborate on an alternate care facility in Memphis, Tenn.’s former Commercial Appeal building.

The established rapport and technical expertise of the team allowed us to jumpstart our response to the planned 28-day designbuild of a 403-bed COVID-19 response facility in support of a FEMA mission. Enviah created a process map that responded to the staff and patient care workflow and ArchTam married the process map with the initial design plans. Equipped with process mapping and plans, our team collaborated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and various Tennessee medical professionals for the project.

Our teamed efforts have been most impactful to the communities served, both in Michigan and Memphis. ArchTam and Enviah understand the importance of our contributions to population health through the built environment. When we work together to address the operational and business needs of our clients and then deliver a project that supports and enhances the care of people in the community, our success is measured in contributing to improved healthcare outcomes.

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Safety first

Streets and the public realm are reaching new levels of importance and prioritization across the nation. New transportation services, biking, and walking are becoming the norm and car dependence more of a burden. Cities from New York to San Francisco have launched “Vision Zero” efforts to completely eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries on our streets for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists through better planning, engineering, targeted enforcement, and public education. In committing to Vision Zero, cities are asked to designate funding to assess the most critical areas, develop world-class solutions, and fast-track implementation. In part, this effort includes a proactive and comprehensive design approach—including traffic signals, on-street parking, bike lanes, narrow lane widths, trees and landscaping, medians, curb extensions, speed humps, and small curb radii—to slow traffic speeds and establish a safer street environment.

Redefine what “balanced user needs” means today

A fundamental shift in how users are prioritized in the planning process is underway, shifting the automobile-dominant hierarchy to increase the prevalence of “complete streets” policies that require projects to consider the needs of non-auto modes (i.e., bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit) first. Inclusive streets should also address the needs of the young, elderly, disabled, and lower-income populations. “Streets are only as good as our most vulnerable user,” said Gabe Klein. By including median islands, buffer zones, parklets, and other treatments rather than more pavement, roadways can be integrated into the urban environment and connect neighborhoods rather than dividing them. Streets can also become “smart” through the use of digital tags, information panels and GPS. They can become “green” with elements such as rain gardens, bioswales, and permeable paving that help manage stormwater in addition to improving the street environment.

Embrace the sharing economy

The collaborative or “sharing economy” has been expanding rapidly as people increasingly choose to share and crowdsource goods, services, funding, transportation, and more. Shared mobility options include public transit, car sharing, ride sharing, bike sharing, taxis, and shuttles. In terms of revenue, the mobility sector may be one of the fastest-growing segments of the sharing economy. The shared mobility sector is attracting more established companies and innovative start-ups using diverse business models, including fleet management (business-to-business), traditional car rental (business-to-customer), and peer-to-peer rental. How can the growing shared economy integrate with official city transportation policies? Is there a divide between public/private that stops or slows cities from integrating strategies? What types of land use policies and/or physical facilities does a city need to allow and support shared mobility activities? This question is especially relevant in the context of serving the ‘last mile’ between transit stops to final destinations—often a determinant of a transit choice.

Incorporate and learn from technology

Combined with the growth of the shared economy comes the increased use of ever-smarter technologies that can offer faster, more reliable, safer, and more equitable levels of service that combine different platforms (i.e., RideScout) to help customers find the transportation services they need. Smart phone apps are enabling increasing numbers of “mobivores” (users of whatever mode is most convenient), as opposed to “CARnivores” (those who remain dependent on single-occupant vehicles). How can cities accommodate dynamic ride sharing companies like Uber and Lyft, operate and market their public transit systems, make the best use of real-time transit information displays, and ensure that users without smart phones have equal access? The technology industry teaches us to not over-commit to solutions, leave space to learn while doing, and adjust as we go. Infrastructure investments need to be designed with future technologies and needs in mind, but avoid being over-planned. Per Code for America, smart cities should combine traditional mobility planning and design with the iterative, scalable, and playful nature of technology development.

Enhance public communication

Go to the public instead of expecting the public to come to you. Community outreach can be made more effective and inclusive by using virtual meetings (web-based connectivity for people who are unable to attend traditional public meetings) or field meetings (held at project sites, in close proximity to the majority of people most likely to be affected). Boston used a “question campaign” as part of its long-range transportation plan update—people were encouraged to “donate” questions, which then became the focus of a marketing campaign. Simply changing semantics helped engage participation. Quality graphics also speak volumes. The state-of-the-art publications and materials for NYC DOT and NACTO offer these guiding principles: strive for simplicity and consistency; illustrations should speak for themselves; and instead of “flat” figures and graphics, bring some items to the forefront to emphasize, allowing others to play a supportive role in the background.

In conclusion

In 1956, the Federal Aid Highway Act authorized the Interstate Highway System and began the neglect of public transit systems in our cities. The conference demonstrated that while much progress has been made to retrofit this legacy, there is much to be done to re-purpose public space to achieve safer, attractive, livable, equitable, and economically vibrant streets. Rather than relying on existing codes and guidelines, it’s important to ask “what problem are we trying to solve” at the beginning of each project. Cities are at different stages in this development process and there are no one-size-fits-all approaches. “Find hidden opportunities on every street and make change,” said Janette Sadik-Khan. Transportation decisions shape neighborhoods and therefore engage communities; this energy can be channeled into innovative solutions. Cities are increasingly focused on their public spaces and people as assets, branding opportunities, and good business. High-quality infrastructure (bike lanes, signaling, etc.) inspires and organizes multi-modal cooperation and better experiences for all users. Mobility dysfunction is finally being proactively rejected.

ArchTam was a major sponsor of the 2014 conference under the leadership of Kathy Mayo, Northern California transit/rail market segment leader. ArchTam’s Alex Clifford and Lisa Fisher co-led San Francisco walking/biking tours of the Central Subway project area and the Central Waterfront. More information about the conference and NACTO’s Urban Street Design and Bikeways Design guides can be found on their website. To date, the guides have been adopted by seven states and more than 40 cities, and NACTO plans to launch a Global Guidebook in 2015.

Amanda Leahy (amanda.leahy@archtam.com) is a transportation planner with ArchTam

Geoffrey Rubendall (geoffrey.rubendall@archtam.com) is a transportation engineer with ArchTam 

Lisa Fisher (lisa.fisher@archtam.com) is an urban planner with ArchTam 

Luiz Barata (luiz.barata@archtam.com) is an urban designer with ArchTam

Ryan Park (ryan.park@archtam.com) is a transportation engineer with ArchTam 

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